Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread - Page 850

I just remembered something I thought was cool this morning while I was thinking about Smokey and her various nest locations. 

When she went broody it was inside the main coop in a nestbox.  She would spend hours sitting in the nest box laying her eggs but return to the roost at night to sleep.  She did that for 3 to 4 days.  Then on the 4th day she remained in the nest box and didn't move at night. 

So realizing she was broody, I moved her to a little separate coop outside the main one that I purchased for broody hens & chicks.  Then I felt it wasn't safe since I hadn't put wire on the bottom or closed up leaks from the weather, so that same day I moved her to her final nesting area inside a wired off section of the main coop.  So that was 3 different nest areas she had been in a very short period of time.  I did all the moves during the day.

When the chicks had hatched and were 5 weeks old - Smokey started to lay again.  I noticed the 1st day she was trying to find a place to lay - she darted from the inside the main coop to the little coop and to the side entrance where she had ultimately hatched her chicks.  It was almost as if she was looking for that perfect nest in which she remembered hatching her babies.  She ended up laying her first few days worth of eggs on the floor in the coop near where the babies had hatched (the wire has since been removed). 

Lately she's spent more and more time sitting in the main coop nest box to lay each day.  And I'm thinking she may be pondering starting the broody cycle all over again!

Thought I'd share the progress of my broody.

Shes been sitting on eggs for 19 days and I posted a few days ago that I was worried they would hatch while I was at work and they might fall out of the nest box, or out of the coop (its a Garden Coop with essentially 2 floors, and she was on the top floor). So I braved moving her and her nest last night.

I thought moving her at night would be better because she would be 'sleepy' (uh. yeh right.) I used a hand towel to grab her so I could keep her wings down and prevent her from biting me (not a happy mama when Im messing with her eggs) - my husband held her while I slid out her nest and eggs onto a cutting board and moved it into the other coop. I carefully placed her eggs in the corner on some more straw and then my husband set her on them.... Did not go as planned. She of course was scared, confused and didn't realize her eggs were there. I gave her about 10 min to calm down and sit on them, but when I checked her again she was roosting and not on her eggs. I panicked and the only thing I could think would help is to get her a light so she can see everything well, see her eggs and calm down. I put a dark red flood light in there for her. Checked her after 10 min and she was down on the coop floor eating. Checked her 10 mintues after that and she was on her eggs! She was on them still this morning when I checked before work. Phew! I was really worried I was going to have to do an emergency incubating for the last 2 days.

Now they will be safe, have room to move without danger and theres not a possibility of anyone falling out.

Poor thing was just scared and couldnt see her eggs in the dark coop.

Thought I'd share the progress of my broody.

Shes been sitting on eggs for 19 days and I posted a few days ago that I was worried they would hatch while I was at work and they might fall out of the nest box, or out of the coop (its a Garden Coop with essentially 2 floors, and she was on the top floor). So I braved moving her and her nest last night.

I thought moving her at night would be better because she would be 'sleepy' (uh. yeh right.) I used a hand towel to grab her so I could keep her wings down and prevent her from biting me (not a happy mama when Im messing with her eggs) - my husband held her while I slid out her nest and eggs onto a cutting board and moved it into the other coop. I carefully placed her eggs in the corner on some more straw and then my husband set her on them.... Did not go as planned. She of course was scared, confused and didn't realize her eggs were there. I gave her about 10 min to calm down and sit on them, but when I checked her again she was roosting and not on her eggs. I panicked and the only thing I could think would help is to get her a light so she can see everything well, see her eggs and calm down. I put a dark red flood light in there for her. Checked her after 10 min and she was down on the coop floor eating. Checked her 10 mintues after that and she was on her eggs! She was on them still this morning when I checked before work. Phew! I was really worried I was going to have to do an emergency incubating for the last 2 days.

Now they will be safe, have room to move without danger and theres not a possibility of anyone falling out.

Poor thing was just scared and couldnt see her eggs in the dark coop.

This is Hermone, my 'pancake hen' sitting on 12 blue copper marans and 6 blue laying silver dorking eggs

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuffy 

This is Hermone, my 'pancake hen' sitting on 12 blue copper marans and 6 blue laying silver dorking eggs

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuffy